The New Newt

Well, the tortoise analogy I’ve been using regarding Newt Gingrich seems to be coming true. One thing that hadn’t changed over these many weeks was Romney being solidly ahead in New Hampshire. He has consistently had double-digit leads over the next closest contender. No more. Gingrich is now just two points behind Romney there.

Now that Gingrich is surging, he is getting the same tough vetting that the rest of the crowd has gotten. Not the least of which is that his consulting firm collected $1.5 million in fees from the government-backed mortgage agency Freddie Mac in 1999. I heard Newt say yesterday that they did not take his advice. Only in our government would they pay over a million dollars for expert advice, and then ignore it. We will, of course, hear endlessly about his divorces, and the left will continue to spread the lie that he asked his cancer stricken (she didn’t have cancer) wife for a divorce (he didn’t) while she was in the hospital, even after his daughter has set the record straight.

So, since all of you will soon be reading every piece of dirt the left can dig up on Newt, and all the things many conservatives hate about Newt, I thought I might remind you of all the really great things about Newt. Let’s just go for the positive for the moment. The first is music to my ears. Newt has presented a seven-point plan to balance the budget, including turning welfare programs into block grants to the states, increasing domestic energy production, rooting out fraud in Medicare and other federal programs and replacing or overhauling the Congressional Budget Office. The thing about Newt, you know he isn’t just talking.

Newt has Washington experience (He was Speaker of the House), but for the last 11 years he has worked in the private sector, so it’s good that he understands that. He’s made plenty of mistakes though, even while in Congress. But let’s remember the good past. Gingrich was a major influence in drafting the Contract with America in 1994. This contract insisted on major policy changes in tax cuts, tort reform, social security reform, welfare reform and term limits. All the answers to the problems that we are being overwhelmed with now if they could have ever been fully enacted. The Contract with America is credited for the 1994 Republican sweep in which the majority in both houses of Congress went to the Republicans. As much as many Democrats like to point out the prosperity of the 90’s happened while Clinton was President, it was the Republican Congress and Newt that did the hard work to make it happen. That is not to say that the Republicans did everything right. They did not. They did not turn us to the responsible future they promised. The idea of spending other people’s money is just too tempting, and sadly, even the GOP falls for it. That is what we are trying to change now.

But, back to Newt. Newt’s biggest advantage is not only being the smartest man in the room, but being able to articulate that well. He has actual solutions. That is something that Americans are longing for.

But, there is something interesting here that has happened to Newt. Newt found God. That is hardly discussed in all this. When I found out that Newt Gingrich had converted to Catholicism, I was extremely skeptical. But I will say that the Newt I saw at the debate here in Texas recently was very different from the Newt I had observed in the 90’s. His whole demeanor was different. He was calmer, and, to be frank, kinder. I found this article from a good friend of Newt’s that has known him all his adult life, and it confirmed what I suspected. Newt’s conversion was real. And if you are a person of faith, you know how that can change you. In many instances, it changes the person so completely, it’s as if it’s a new person. Well, I’ll let the friend, Matt Towery, explain:

The Newt I used to know hardly resembles the man I know now.

Then he was extremely ambitious (I thought he was crazy when he told me in 1980 that he would someday be speaker of the House) and let virtually nothing stand in his way.

He was so trigger-happy that he fired without thinking, rarely worrying about the collateral damage he left behind. He could engage in really heated arguments, and the way most of us survived was to fight right back.
…………………..

He was also secretive. Even with those he basically loved and who loved him, he could never truly drop his guard.
I can’t tell you how many then-young members of Congress on the GOP side would pull me aside and ask me what Newt really thought of them. I had a standard answer: “He doesn’t think of you. Just keep on doing your best, and don’t pay too much attention when he gets mad.”

Towery goes on to say that if you really knew the story of Newt’s divorces, you would be more sympathetic. Like what so many Americans know, divorce is painful and the fault usually lies with both people.

Then Towery gives us a view of the “new Newt.” And it was what I imagined. A changed heart changes who we are. Newt would be the first to tell you that he wasn’t the best of men, but time, wisdom, and faith has given us a more humble man. And wouldn’t that be a change we could use in the White House? I get links and articles from conservatives all the time about the things Newt said and did when he was Speaker that they dislike. I think now I can tell them that that person is not the person who is running for President today.

As Towery says:

By the early 2000s, Newt was not the best of company. But it was then that he began to change. He converted to the Catholic Church, and for the first time was passionate about God and his spiritual life.

His marriage to Callista brought him peace and a settled lifestyle that I had never seen in the many decades I had known him.
Then came the grandchildren. Newt became an integral part of their lives, perhaps more so than in that of his girls when they were growing up. His eyes light up around them, and he never hesitates to let them be a part of whatever he is doing.

The new Newt rarely loses his temper, suffers fools easily and cares about the more human and personal side of his longtime friends. He is genuinely kind.

I’m sure the skeptical among us will scoff at this, but I have seen the transformation of people in faith, and it is astonishing sometimes. I don’t know Newt personally, so I was very interested to read this by someone who does.

I know it may seem that I am now coming out for Newt for the nomination, but I’m really not. I just find his life and his rising in the polls interesting.

Next week I am going to write a piece about Romney and his faith. Because, my dear conservative friends, as much as we might wish it were different with our own favorite guys or girls, this nomination will be between Romney and Newt. I love our Gov. Perry. He is a good sincere man, but I don’t see him surging back. Herman Cain has been too damaged. So, here we are with Romney and Gingrich. And you know what? I think both are pretty good choices.

71 Responses

Newt “says” they didn’t take his advice though the folks af Freddie dispute he gave any such advice saying he went along with the way they were doing business. Did you conveniently miss that part of the article or just blindly believe Gingrich’s take on his time with Freddie $ Fannie?

Being incompetent doesn’t automatically make you a liar. There are dyed-in-the-wool Republicans working for that agency also you know who don’t have an axe to grind against Newt or any other pol…just folks doing their job and maybe,just maybe telling the truth about Newt’s “contributions for cash”(Not Lobbying…goodness, never!).

Airdale Spark is confusing competence with morality. She prefers to believe the questionable character over the all mighty corporation. Does sound conservative to me. Remember Romney said corporations are people.

The contract with America was completely awesome, so there is that. You also seemed to have missed his seven point plan to turn this ship around. And finally, you missed the part where he is a kinder more serious man. And humble. I think America is tired of an arrogant President making arrogant decisions that are hurting us all. So, I think all these things are pretty great.

GDI if Sparkle is true that Newt is kinder, gentler, why in the heck did his whole staff abandon him? This does not add up at least to me and portends what will happen if Newt is sucessful and needs to work with others..

Mrs McKinley opened the third paragraph by noting that the mayhem from the left will soon begin (if I may paraphrase a bit). In her quotation from Matt Lowery “the new Newt rarely loses his temper, suffers fools easily and … is genuinely kind”.

I like Newt. I respect Newt. I wasn’t fond of him calling Paul Ryan’s plan ‘fiscal social engineering’ but I got over it. My problem with Newt is his ability to fund a campaign and the ground organization to make it work. Right now he doesn’t and I don’t know how he can in such a short time.

Then there is the fact the the candidates are taking all the air time out of the room and letting Obama just get by with his lack of leadership. I think I will have to support Romney so Romney can focus on Obama.

I am only 31, but I remember from past Presidential elections the loud, ignorant, obnoxious, pompous Newt who reminded me of the present day Rick Perry, Sarah Palin, Ann Coulter, Herman Cain, etc. etc. He was then supported by and surrounded by a whole flock of like minded, self-righteous, ignorant, under-educated, gun totting, Bible thumping bigots that collectively sounded like they had never graduated from the 4th grade.
They all shared the same isolated, narrow, Bible based fundamentalist or Evangelical/Pentecostal brand of Christianity. Hate , or at the very least, intolerance seemed to be one of the cornerstones of their “faith”. Rick Perry and Ann Coulter are the standard bearers for this cabal of predjudiced pinheads today.

But Newt, in finding the path to Roman Catholicism suddenly became a changed man. His whole aura changed. Gone was the tense face and the obnoxious rhetoric spewing attitude. Now there was a serenity and peace which comes from finding the light of Christ in the Catholicism, its mysteries and magnificent traditions. And on more than one occasion in recent months, he has spoken of how much he loves it. Good for him. God Bless him. The change in him has been amazing.

Rick Perry, Sarah Palin, Ann Coulter, the Rev. John Hagee and others of their ilk would do well to follow suit.

Same ol’ Newt and same ol’ Republican’s hoping against hope that this time, the guy who took over a million from a corrupt agency (and all you hear are crickets about the money he took lobbying for the free drugs for seniors act of Medicare Plan D) has ‘changed’. He’s older, just as grumpy and still has seven plans for the eight problems affecting the fifty states. So far every Republican, except for the Libertarian, has shown an astonishing ability to ‘flip flop’. And he’s the smartest guy in the room–remember what that phrase ended up really meaning?

I think Newt will be the Republican nominee. Just don’t see the other candidates voters going to Romney as they fall be the wayside. However, either would be a good choice for the Republican ticket. Both would destroy Obama in a debate and either would be a much better President than the currewnt one. He, simply has to go before he completely destroys this country.

He has never lobbied. And a consulting firm is the private sector, whether you like it or not. It does bother me that he has been divorced (3, not 4) times. And that he has been an adulterer, but there is this thing called forgiveness. And he has asked for it and made it clear that he has reconciled with God. None of us are perfect. If Gingrich had just brushed off his past as nothing, and not showed genuine sorrow over it, then I wouldn’t even consider him. I didn’t consider him at first, until I heard him talk about it. I didn’t consider Giuliani when he ran for the same reasons, and I still don’t consider him, because he has never shown a bit of remorse. I don’t know what you mean by the information being verifiable. Do you think I didn’t know? I’ve written about it many times.

Speaking of private jobs, Obama is a completely empty suit whose “intelligence” is completely over blown. He can barely utter a word without the teleprompter. And as far as the marriages, there have been three and a little research will educate you that a lot of what has been reported and said, simply is not true.

In the past few days it’s been estimated that Gingrich has earned somewhere over $100 million since being forced out of his speakership and leaving Congress. Can you still say, with a straight face, that he hasn’t lobbied for all that money.

I mean, just yesterday in SC he said on camera and the record that he wasn’t lobbying since he was making some $65,000 per speech and didn’t need the money.

I read ur blog just to see what the various opinions on the political issues. But I ask this, you said Newt made mistakes and have asked forgiveness and yes we are far from perfect but…don’t you think committing adultery more than once is more than just a mistake? Just saying

Sparkle–Jackie Gingrich was in surgery to have a tumor removed, her third such surgery. At the time, nobody knew if it was benign. So the threat of cancer was very real, and even a benign tumor is no small thing.

Also, while the divorce was already in progress, Newt wanted to discuss the terms during that hospital visit–this from Jackie herself, in a 1985 Washington Post article.

And doesn’t it bother you just a little bit that when Newt and Jackie started their relationship, he was 16 and she was 23? She was his high school chemistry (or math) teacher.

Seems like you need to escape from the echo chamber and buck up on your research…

Umm. You didn’t dispute anything I wrote. I think I’ll believe his own daughter over the WaPo, though. I think I have explained enough that I know Newt isn’t perfect. But he has been through a conversion and to me that means forgiveness.

Of the four “great things about Newt” from your message you keep repeating the one about converting to Catholicism. Many Catholics may view that as baggage.

Personally I don’t care if he converts to the metric system. As a Presidential candidate I am only interested in his ability to perform the job. Based on his past performance I remain a bit skeptical. Maybe the true test is how well he performs when the mud is flying.

Newt has always had great ideas. I remember years and years ago he suggested that every student have a laptop. Everyone thought he was nuts. Now, that looks prophetic. Newt and Obama are both smart men. They just both have VERY different visions for our country. I just happen to agree with Newt’s vision.

A prophet? Not sure I know what you mean. I write stuff nice about Obama. I’ve said he seems to be a great Dad and husband. I’ve said he did the right thing in ordering Osama killed. I’ve said he was right to keep most of Bush’s security policies. I’ve said (and printed) his speech to (I think it was the NAACP) about fatherhood, and what the black community needs to do to make things better. My problem with Obama is his policies. I’ve gotten upset with him a few times, but I don’t think I’ve ever been mean. I always try to be a kind person. If I met you or anyone that disagrees with me, I would be kind to you, of course. That’s just me.

You’re not taking their daughter’s word over the WaPo–you’re taking their daughter’s word over Jackie Gingrich–the person in the room. The person who said that her kids asked if Dad could come in and see her, and when he did, he brought divorce papers with him for them to go over. These are *Jackie Gingrich’s* words, not the WaPo. She has repeated them since.

Personally, I prefer to believe the only other adult directly involved in the issue, rather than to trust the memory of a child 30 years after the fact.

Please show where the wife said he brought the divorce papers. I have only read that she said they discussed divorce. But even if that were true, so what? All parties involved say that it was she that asked for the divorce months before, and secondly, she didn’t have cancer. So the whole story is bogus.

You’re ability to take those who you agree with at their word interesting. To say Newt has never lobbied Freddie and Fannie is laughable. It’s interesting that right wing folks like to throw jabs at Freddie and Fannie, but that while in charge of everything from 2000-2006, they enacted no controls over Fannie and Freddie even as the housing bubble inflated. Maybe because Newt was using his influence to act as a Historian for them with senior Republicans, or perhaps becuase Michelle Bachmann planed to take out a loan from them, which she did.

What does Newt know? What does Freddie Mac know for that matter? Both said that Newt didn’t Lobby. But Chad knows, Chad was at all of the meetings. But Chad doesn’t know that Fannie was NOT involved, The Gingrich Group only had a contract with Freddie.

You know the GSAs Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae are not the government; they are publicly traded corporation controlled by independent Boards. If they didn’t take Newt’s advise that does not flow to the then current Administration. Your slant erodes any credibility you may enjoy.

More importantly Newt’s daughter can not set the record straight about Newt and his former wife whom both really know the truth. Sorry third hand she said he said even from a daughter does not work for me. I want Newt’s ex-wife version; so no I can not accept the story from the daughter whatever it is. Fair? Remember trust but verify?

Remember Newt burned down the Republican Party, survived many coup attempts before finally quitting leaving the republican and the House in an unmitigated mess resulting in Democratic control of the House.

Do you really think this character should be the POTUS? Don’t you worry about him alienating his own party getting frustrated and quitting again?

Newt does indeed seem like a different guy. Happy to welcome him to the Catholic family. The guy has a ton of baggage though. Just his name brings back sour memories. As a moderate, he was always a bit extreme. I can imagine he’ll have a tough road overcoming his past with mainstream voters. The tea folks must really not like Romney if even Newt is getting some run…

I have one question for you. If Newt Gingrich is such a changed man who you believe to have undergone this great conversion, why did he lie during a debate concerning how much money he had been paid by Freddie Mac? If he was indeed an “historian,” which by all accounts is also a false statement, why lie? You yourself quoted the figure of 1.5 million. If you review his debate performance he clearly stated a much lesser amount. I appreciate honest discourse, but you have to deal with facts. He lied. Plain and simple.

Ya know, my great great grandmother was a full bloodied Cherokee Indian. And I know that her folks were from around these parts. So, my family was a part of Texas a long time before it ever dreamed of being Texas. So, I’m thinking a long long time…;-)

Oh geeze. There are about a dozen reason not to like Newt, but believing a leftwing lie should not be one of them. She wasn’t dying. She was having a benign tumor removed. She never had cancer. She is still alive and well today. Secondly, he did not serve her divorce papers there. Good grief.

First–it is a common belief that a benign tumor is cancer. It is not. The medical definition of cancer specifies uncontrolled cell growth and invasion of nearby parts of the body. Benign tumors do not grow uncontrollably nor do they invade other body parts. Thus, a benign tumor is not cancer. In the incident in question, Jackie Gingrich was in the hospital recovering from surgery to remove a benign tumor.

Second–Newt did not server her with divorce papers–Jackie had asked for the divorce months prior. What Newt actually did was, he brought the kids to the hospital to visit Jackie. He then asked the kids to ask Jackie if he could come in to see her. When he did, he brought divorce papers with him for her to review and for them to discuss. Still puts the “ass” in “class”, but not as bad as dropping the divorce bomb on her while she’s in the hospital.

I hope this makes things clear to everyone and we can all continue our discussion while working from the actual facts.

You know the GSAs, Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae are not the government; they are publicly traded corporation controlled by independent Boards. If they didn’t take Newt’s advise that does not flow to the then current Administration. Your slant erodes any credibility you may enjoy.

More importantly Newt’s daughter can not set the record straight about Newt and his former wife whom both really know the truth. Sorry third hand, she said he said even from a daughter does not work for me. I want Newt’s ex-wife version; so no I can not accept the story from the daughter whatever it is. Fair? Remember trust but verify?

Remember Newt burned down the Republican Party, survived many coup attempts before finally quitting leaving the Republican and the House of Representatives in an unmitigated mess resulting in Democrat control of the House.

Do you really think this character should be the POTUS? Don’t you worry about him alienating his own party getting frustrated and quitting again?

He doesn’t stand a chance in you know where……………

*note: No, Freddie and Fannie were put under a conservatorship of the U.S. Federal government in 2008. Newt’s daughter can set the record straight since she was there. From what I know, the ex-wife has never spoken about it, and who could blame her? The boodsuckers of the media would just go nuts on her, and who wants that??? Anyway, the whole purpose of the post is to say that perhaps Newt is a changed man. Who knows? I guess we shall see. I do think he stands a chance, but it will be tough to beat Romney.-TexasSparkle

That same Post profile quoted Jackie herself giving a slightly different version of the story (one that doesn’t mention any legal pad):

“He can say that we had been talking about [a divorce] for 10 years, but the truth is that it came as a complete surprise,” says Jackie Gingrich, in a telephone interview from Carrollton. “He’s a great wordsmith … He walked out in the spring of 1980 and I returned to Georgia. By September, I went into the hospital for my third surgery. The two girls came to see me, and said Daddy is downstairs and could he come up? When he got there, he wanted to discuss the terms of the divorce while I was recovering from the surgery … To say I gave up a lot for the marriage is the understatement of the year.”

Wow, not one commenter mentioned how Newt tried to kill human spaceflight, you’d think that at least ONE person would remember him forcing a vote in the house where the international Space Station was almost CANCELLED, and Newt lost by one vote.

Or are you controlling the conversation Sparkle? Newts crimes against Houston will be brought to light sooner or later….

Quit trying to spoil the fun. The topic of this exchange is the “great” things that Newt has done. I boiled off the rhetoric from the original message and the list turned out to be pretty short as it is (only four items). How can we have a “balanced” discussion with all this negativity?

So much for the conservative revolution. The Tea Party Republicans have lost their mojo and are now falling back to elites. What happened to your moral compass? Oh yea, he’s a republican so its all about his current ideas. HAHAHAHAHA! It has always been about elites for the Tea Party, just “their” elites. The revolt of the haves. Honestly, to hear Sparkle saying, “Newt has Washington experience (He was Speaker of the House), but for the last 11 years he has worked in the private sector, so it’s good that he understands that.” Yes, a good ole boy elite. Why don’t you come out against congress making stock trades on private information? Both repubs and Dems alike do this.

“Newt Gingrich always seems to be the smartest guy in the room. Which is what they said about Obama, and look where that got us. But Newt is smart, with great innovative ideas. When he drops out (and he will), whoever snaps him up as an adviser would be lucky to have him. Newt has too many personal issues that many of us conservatives cannot get past. We can forgive, but we don’t forget.”

That is what I believed. I was certainly wrong about him dropping out. As I wrote later, he seems to be the tortoise that may win this race. These primaries always change. I am still not sure conservatives can forget his past, but if he can convince enough to forgive and forget, then he might just pull this out. In the end, I don’t think he will be able to. But that is just what I think from where I sit right now. Which is what blogging is all about.